Delayed flight adds another chapter to USC's Sun Bowl story

In the world of public opinion, USC has been guilty before being proven innocent since the day Lane Kiffin strolled into town in 2010, if not since Carson Palmer, Reggie Bush, Pete Carroll and friends lifted the Trojans to the top of college football a decade ago.

So when the Trojans showed up 90 minutes late to the Sheriff's Posse Dinner on Wednesday night – after a jilted Georgia Tech team had already left the premises – it was widely assumed that Kiffin and USC had simply chosen this avenue to illustrate their displeasure at falling from No. 1 in the preseason to five losses and the Sun Bowl.

That's not the case, a USC official told USA TODAY Sports. USC's tardiness to Wednesday's bowl-sanctioned dinner was a result of a delayed flight to El Paso, which led to a late start to practice and the late arrival at dinner.

USC tried to get there as quickly as possible, said sports information director Tim Tessalone, even giving players just 10 minutes to change between arriving back at the hotel from practice and getting back on the bus for dinner.

Is a dinner more important than practice? It might be to those who put on the dinner, but it wasn't to USC. Could Kiffin have cut practice short? Absolutely. That he didn't isn't another indictment of Kiffin's much-discussed and analyzed "immaturity," but rather a clear instance of him putting his team's on-field tasks ahead of its off-field responsibilities. Where you stand likely depends on how you view Kiffin and USC; if you're like most, you've probably decided to view it as another faux pas.

Not that a few USC players are happy to be spending the holidays in El Paso, mind you. In early December, after the Trojans' bowl plans were made official, USC linebacker Tony Burnett took to his Twitter account to make his feelings about the situation clear:

"Georgia Tech!? El Paso, Texas!? New Years Eve!?"

Burnett was forced to make a public apology:

"Earlier today I made some tweets I regret. To the city of El Paso and representatives of the Hyundai Sun Bowl, I apologize for my remarks. My team and I are grateful for the opportunity to play in our first bowl game in three years… and we are appreciative of all of the hard work that goes into making the game happen. What I tweeted was not representative of my team or my university. I sincerely apologize and hope my apology is taken at its word."

"Out here in El Paso. [Expletive] city but glad I can enjoy this moment wit the USC family."

Later Thursday, Williams sent out a series of tweets apologizing for his remarks:

"Sorry about what I said last night. It came out wrong. I'm so grateful to be a part of this bowl and looking forward to a great game… I was saying I'm just proud to be here with my family… I also think the people in El Paso are very welcoming and made me feel at home… Once again I apologize for speaking with out thinking… Learn from mistakes."